


A Moment in Time

by Music4life1203



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:35:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music4life1203/pseuds/Music4life1203
Summary: Ajay Che and Octavio Silva have been friends for as long as they could remember. Despite some rough patches, some crazy stunts, and a few social media blocks, these two Legends have remained friends no matter the circumstances. But one day, after an intense match, Lifeline realizes that she might have fallen in love with the Stim loving addict. When she finally gets the courage to express her feelings, she receives an offer that she can't refuse, threatening her future with the Apex Legends, something that doesn't sit well with the rest of the legends. Will Octane finally be able to convince her to come back, or will one of the greatest Legends of the games be gone forever?
Relationships: Lifeline | Ajay Che & Octane | Octavio Silva, Lifeline | Ajay Che/Octane | Octavio Silva, Loba Andrade/Bangalore | Anita Williams
Comments: 62
Kudos: 50





	1. Uh Oh.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I absolutely love this ship, and reading the latest fanfiction for them is amazing! But I need more content so I decided to contribute! Let me know what y'all think! :3

“Goddammit, Silva!” yelled Lifeline as she slid to his side and picked him up using her D.O.C. Once her shield was up, she worked on replenishing her shield while constant shots of heavy artillery rained down from across the way. They managed to make it to the top building in the middle of estates, but they had at least three different squads zoning in on their location. She knew that the moment Octane got a hold of being jumpmaster, he was gonna throw them into some shit. This was exactly why she never did duos with him. This would be the last time in a while. 

“Octavio, you better have a damn jump pad at the ready,” she said angrily. Once he got up, he recharged his shields, threw down a jump pad, grabbed her by the waist, and high tailed it out of there, using a stim to increase his speed, She threw her hand over her mouth, stifling her screams as they soared over the carnage and out of the small community. They made it so far that they ended up in Hydroponics, finding as much loot as they could until they were set. Ajay took a moment to breathe and smooth back her hair. When she noticed that she couldn’t get her hair back to normal, she gave up, letting it loose for once. Finally calming down, she turned her attention to Octane, who was silently watching her.

“Keep ya focus on the game, ya hear me? I should kill you for dropping us back there!” she yelled.

“Sorry, chica. You know how much I love dropping there! It’s always fun! Besides, we made it out alive!” he said, pulling her into a side hug. 

“Still, Tavi, you know that I hate dropping in places like that. Last time, we didn’t make it out of there,” she said. She crossed her arms, giving him a stern look. He pulled away from her and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. 

“Che, we’re gonna win this, okay? It’s me and you against the world. We got this,” he said. For a moment, Ajay couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes, searching for any bullshit that he might try to be hiding. But besides that, even she knew that they had made that pact ever since they were little. She knew that as deceitful as he was, she would still somehow give in to his antics. With a small sigh, she nodded her head. He jumped up in excitement, dragging her away to the nearest location: Bonsai Plaza. 

Knowing they wouldn’t find much loot three, they held up for a while, looking for any enemies in sight. It was them and one other squad, but Lifeline felt a tad bit anxious, having the feeling that they were being watched. Their shields had risen to level five by then, but she only had four shield cells and a battery left to replenish. She was cutting it close. 

“Tavi, how many shields ya got left?” she whispered. She could hear footsteps in the distance, knowing that the last team had finally made their way towards them. 

“I’ve got two shield cells and three batteries. I think I’m good for now,” he said. 

“Shh, quiet down. Alright so here’s the plan. I’m gonna take the high ground while you stake out this floor. They’re under us so we should have the angle on them,” she said. 

“Aww but that sounds boring. How about we just jump into the fight and win this thing!” he yelled. He instantly threw out a jump pad and landed far away, seemingly heading straight towards the enemy. Ajay groaned, trying to head towards the junkie she got a sharp hit in her shoulder from the opposite direction. She quickly turned around to see Revenant and Caustic approaching her menacingly, aiming right at her. She quickly found some cover, tossing a thermite grenade over her shoulder while trying to replenish what was left. She managed to knock down caustic, who was dying out fast. Revenant ran up towards her, so she knew that Caustic was out for the count. Dodging every shot she could, she was finally out of space cornered by the robotic assassin. 

“No one here to save you, little girl?” he sneered.

“If ya gonna finish me off, then finish me off already. Ya slimy bastard!” she yelled. 

Grunting out of anger, Lifeline watched as he disappeared out of her eyesight, only to appear behind her and snap her neck. She fell to the ground, hearing his laughter echoing in the background. As her vision faded, she could see Octane watching in the distance. She could feel the anger radiating off him as he began aiming his gun right at Revenant’s head. His eyes said it all: He was going to give that robot hell. The moment he went down, she could feel herself being transported back to the dropship, getting patched up and being healed so that she could meet up with Silva to take their honorary Champion photo. 

“Silva! That was amazing! I’m so proud of ya!” she said, running up to him and giving him a huge hug. He was acting weird, but she would ask him later, posing for the photo with him, happy that they won. Once it was over, Octane dragged her away, pulling her straight to his quarters, something that was very unlike himself. Lifeline knew that something was up but she patiently waited for him to speak whenever he was ready. He was never the type of person to be quiet, but being this quiet was unusual, even for him. He took off his mask, his goggles, and his hat before completely turning his gaze towards her. There was such intensity in his eyes that it sent shivers down Ajay’s back. She was so nervous that she started feeling her palms getting sweaty. Licking her dry lips, she finally tried to speak up, only to have Octavio capture her in a tight hug. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, each breath sending tiny shivers up her spine. For years she always saw Octane as her brother, her best friend, the only family she would ever be able to trust. But at that moment, he was causing her heart to beat at a speed that could rival his stim. 

“Tavi?” She said 

“I know that we’re legends and this bloodsport is something that we do for various reasons, but please be careful next time. It hurt seeing you go out like that,” he said quietly. Lifeline smiled at him and roughed up his hair a bit. 

“Of course. I’m sorry about that. I’ll be more careful next time. Wow, I didn’t know you were such a worrywart!” she giggled. 

Octane gave a breathy laugh, closing his eyes and removing her hand from his messy hair. He brought it down to his cheek and rubbed against it. It was one of the most intimate gestures that he had ever done to her, and it brought out that same heartbeat again. Lifeline didn’t know what to make of it, but she knew that it was a feeling that she had never experienced before. A faint blush dusted her cheeks when he looked up at her. 

“Well, I would do anything to keep my Lifeline going,” he said. 

He removed her hand and walked off, waving goodbye while she weakly waved back. She should’ve seen it coming, but it attacked her all at once that she wasn’t prepared. Although she had been denying it for years, it took that one moment for reality to come storming in and slap her in the face. 

Ajay Che had fallen for her best friend and boy, did she fall hard.


	2. A Lovesick Woman Walks into a Bar...

“Another one? You’re clearly intoxic- intaxic- you’re drunk,” he said bluntly. 

“Mirage, I promise I’m fine. Now hit me with another before I take the whole damn bottle from ya!” she yelled. 

Clearly not pleased with her demands, Mirage reluctantly poured another shot of Tequila and slid it down her way. She took a deep breath before downing another, regretting all those college parties she went to. She rubbed her face, attempting to retrace the moments where she went wrong. Maybe it was giving the slimy bastard a new pair of legs ahead of everyone else. Or maybe it started when they first met. She knew that growing up with someone that you had known all your life could eventually lead to some straying feelings. But even as she thought about it, there wasn’t a single moment that could have possibly led her to eventually find herself falling this hard. As she nibbled on her tortilla chips that Mirage kindly provided her due to his own growing concerns, she immediately realized what caused this whole fiasco. 

It was that damn mission to get that battery for Pathfinder. Seeing her family again, the combination of nearly losing a close friend, and even the way that Octane fought with her side by side was enough to get her looking at him in a different light. Despite his carefree lifestyle to perpetually live on the edge, Octane had really been a true friend to her lately. This is why her falling for him just seemed to make no logical sense to her. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice Bangalore sit down next to her, watching her nibble absentmindedly on a tortilla chip.

“How long has she been like this?” she asked. 

“Two hours and all she wanted was Tequila shots. She didn’t even notice the chips, she just started eating them,” Mirage whispered. Bangalore grunted, nodding her head before setting her empty drink down and landing a swift slap on the back of Ajay’s head. 

“Ow, what da hell!” she yelled. She started rubbing it, trying to ease some of the pain of the surprise attack off her head. 

“Finally! What’s gotten into you lately?” Mirage said. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just finding myself in a… predicament,” she mumbled. 

“Really? Enough to make you want to down five shots of Tequila?” Bangalore said. Lifeline groaned once more and rested her head on the bar, wishing that she could just sleep away the pain and forget that anything like this even happened. 

“C’mon, you know you can trust us,” Mirage said. He leaned across from her and gave her the worst puppy dog eyes that she had ever seen. It was enough to make her laugh, allowing herself to calm down a bit more and relax. This was the closest thing to a real family that she ever had, the only people that would never judge her for just being herself. 

“Okay if you utter a word to anyone, and I mean absolutely ANYONE, I will not hesitate to put you all to sleep,” she said menacingly. They both nodded, although Mirage couldn’t help but let out an audible gulp that helped Ajay feel a little proud of herself. She took a deep breath, focusing only on the empty glass that she wished was full, before uttering the words that would ultimately result in endless embarrassment. 

“I think… I think I’ve fallen in love… with Silva…” she grumbled. MIrage immediately smacked the table, angrily pulling out his wallet and handing two twenty-dollar bills to Anita, who was happy to pocket the money. Ajay just stared in shock at the two, clearly offended by their exchange. 

“You were betting on us?!” she half-whispered, half yelled. 

“Oh come on, Ajay. We only bet on how long it would take for one of you to realize your feelings. I mean, the way you two look at each other, then there was the date that he went on that you obviously protested on it being an actual date and the most recent mission! It’s so obvious that you two are madly, and I mean madly, in love with each other,” Anita said. She sipped on her drink once more, nodding towards Mirage to get her another one. He reluctantly walked away. 

“Ugh, I just want these feelings to go away. Why couldn’t I fall in love with a rich, morally conscious, intelligent man? No, I had to go for the adrenaline junkie with a checkered past a need to constantly piss me off,” she mumbled. Anita couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, much to Lifeline’s disappointment. She patted her back in pity. 

“Sometimes, love just hits us fast and hard. We never expect it to come when it does, but we have to embrace it,” Anita said. 

“But Bang, why him? He’ll set me up so many times for heartbreak that I won’t even be able to count them on my hand. In the end, he’ll just let me down,” she said quietly. 

“But what if he doesn’t? Why if you’re not seeing the potential that he has because you’re afraid of allowing yourself to be vulnerable. You only get a one in a millionth chance to take a risk like this,” she said. 

Mirage had eventually come back, setting the new drink on the counter, wiping out the rest of the wet glasses that he had just finished washing. Lifeline pleaded for his help with her version of normal-looking puppy dog eyes when he put his hands up in defeat. She groaned once more. 

“What, she’s right. Listen Lifeline, I think you need to go for the risk. For once, put yourself in his shoes and live life on the edge a little,” he said. 

“And if I slip?” she said. 

“Then you can be content with knowing that you even did it at all,” Anita said. 

Ajay eventually relented, noticing a forlorn look appearing on her face. She wondered what could be plaguing the soldier, but decided to leave her be. Finally deciding that enough was enough, LIfeline picked her sorry ass up and left the bar, leaving Mirage and Bangalore to chat about a recent match. Unbeknownst to the three of them, someone had been watching the whole conversation from the shadows. Quietly laughing to themselves, they slipped out of the bar and into the night, pleased with their newfound information that they gained. In the coming days, the legend that that bar tonight would regret the conversation ever taking place at all. 


	3. Distractions, Distractions

“Three teams left, Che. We got this,” Octane whispered. He had his eyes trained on Harvester from the train tracks, trying to pinpoint where the other three teams might be coming from. Ajay was trying her best to keep her focus on the games, but she couldn’t help but stare at Octane. Although he kept his face relatively covered, there was something about him that she just couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. 

It was becoming enough of a distraction that they kept finding themselves in compromising situations. For starters, they got into a really bad gunfight with Revenant and Caustic, who almost ended their lives if it wasn’t for the fact that Octane heard their footsteps approaching. At the time, he had been telling her a story about some crazy stunt he did when he went silent, listening carefully. It wasn’t until he leaned close to her, aiming his grenade at the door behind her that he was able to take Caustic out. However, Revenant was a particularly harder person to fight since he had already popped his Death Totem and was on a nonstop rampage to end their lives. With some teamwork, they were able to take him down, but not without some loss to their health and ammo. 

The next distraction came when they were scouting out Sorting Factory after leaving their fight at the Flower. This time, Lifeline was determined to keep all her focus in the game. They were slowly approaching the area when Octane pushed her down to the ground behind a rock, landing on top of her as a sniper bullet whizzed past their heads. She had to fight everything in her to keep from appearing flustered. Thankfully, Octane had retaliated quickly, allowing for Lifeline to scoot out from under him and reenter the fight. It was Rampart and Bloodhound, happy to try and take them out. But they didn’t realize that Crypto and Wattson were slowly creeping upon them, giving Octane and Lifeline the perfect opportunity to book it out of there as fast as they could. 

Now, Ajay caught herself staring again and was growing tired of her antics. She was ready to get her head in the game and end this fiasco once and for all. “Silva, let’s head towards Harvester. Ring’s closing in a min,” she said. Octane nodded eagerly, excited for the upcoming fight. They managed to slip past anyone undetected, sliding underneath a ramp and quietly waiting for any of the other teams to take some high ground so that they could get the surprise attack on them when they got into a fight. But for the most part, they hid under there, keeping their eyes and ears trained for anything. But eventually, after a while, the two got bored. 

“Damn, can someone come to fight us?! I’m so bored here!” he yelled. 

“Silva, shut up! Keep ya voice down now…” Ajay whispered. 

“Chica, no one is around. Even if they were, they would have been attacked by now. Besides, we’re one of three teams. I just need some action to happen,” he grumbled. Ajay chuckled at his statement, causing him to tilt his head like a confused puppy. 

“What?” he said, bemused. 

“Ya just haven’t changed since we were kids,” she stated. 

“Neither have you, miss stick in the mud,” he joked. She playfully punched him, causing a fake whine to emit from him. She leaned back on the side of the building and closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the breeze for a bit. The cool wind on her skin allowed for her to relax just for a moment, but not too long as Octane immediately slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into the darkest corner of the ramp, putting his finger over her mouth. He quietly pointed upward, prompting her to attempt to listen to Mirage and Wraith talk about where to go next. 

But all Lifeline could think about was how well her body molded into his. With one hand on his gun and the other protectively holding her, his quick, sharp breaths grazing her neck and sending small, sharp tingles up her back, she was slowly turning into a giant mess. Her hand shakily tried to keep her gun steady but their proximity was starting to flood her senses. Even if she wanted to keep calm and hide her blush, she couldn’t even attempt to hide it anymore., something that definitely did not go unnoticed by Octane. 

“Chica, you good? You seem tense,” he said. She took a deep breath, turning towards him to try and explain what was wrong when she realized how close she was to him, just mere inches away from his face. However, she wouldn’t get a chance to respond as he was immediately taken out by a Kraber shot, her following soon after. She would have to find and thank that person later when she went to go look at the kill cam. 

***

“Nice one, stud. Didn’t think you had it in you,” Loba said. 

“Oh, I was doing them a favor. Nothing personal,” Bangalore said. They watched from the tunnel that headed to Fragment West and Sorting Factory, seeing Mirage, Wraith, Crypto, and Wattson fight at the top of Harvester. 

“Now all we have to do is sit back, relax, and take out the last team standing,” Anita said. However, she could tell that Loba was focused on something else, not even worried about winning.

“Still, how can she fall in love with him? She has so many better options that it's stupid,” she said, leaning back on the abandoned car. 

“Well, they have been friends since they were little. It only makes sense that some feelings would develop,” Anita spoke, keeping her eyes trained on the two teams fighting. 

“Well, why doesn’t she just tell him already? I’m already getting sick of seeing this lovesick act from her,” Loba said. They noticed that Crypto and Wattson had won the fight, not knowing where the final team was. They both lined up their shots and took their aim. 

“Give her time, she will. Love can’t be rushed, even if it is those two,” Anita whispered. She took the first shot and took out Wattson, who went down in two shots. Crypto immediately threw out his drone and headed straight for Loba, who couldn’t shoot it out of the sky at all. Luckily, Bangalore jumped in front of her just in time, taking it out before their shields got depleted. She turned to Loba, who was a little flustered by her lack of accuracy. 

“Hey, it’s okay, it happens,” Bangalore said. She gently placed her hand on Loba’s cheek, showing that she had nothing to feel bad about. The two gazed a little too long into each other’s eyes, causing Loba to back away from Anita’s kind gesture. 

“We can’t do that again, Anita,” she whispered. 

“I know, I slipped. I’m sorry,” Bangalore whispered. Loba shyly smiled at her, nodding in Crypto’s direction since the hacker was approaching rapidly. Anita nodded, immediately heading straight towards another win in her books. 

***

Lifeline laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling in hopes that it would hypnotize her into a deep sleep. However, she kept finding herself thinking about her loss today. Once they were back in the dropship, she immediately went to her temporary quarters, needing some time away from Octane. He immediately followed her, grabbing her hand before she could fully runoff. 

“As much of a rush as that was, Hermana, what happened back there?” he asked. Her heart sank, immediately hating the term of endearment that he always used for her. She gently pulled her hand away, trying to look anywhere but his face because she knew that if she did, she would spill all the beans, something she wasn’t ready for. 

“Sorry, I just didn’t really have my head in the game,” she said. 

“Che, is everything okay?” he asked. 

“I’m fine. Maybe… maybe we should just take a break from teaming up with each other for a while,” she said. 

“Wait, why? I don’t understand?” he asked once more. He put his hands on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him. When she did, she realized that he had taken off his goggles and his mask, something he rarely did. His green eyes pierced her soul, something that she just couldn’t look away from. She studied the features of his face, absentmindedly reaching out for the small crisscrossed scar on the right side of his chin. She remembered how he got that scar, remembering that he had been in a street fight where a gang member slashed at his face. He didn’t want it to be healed properly, saying that the ladies liked a man with scars. Thinking back on it, she couldn’t have agreed with him more. 

“Ajay?” he said quietly. 

She realized her mistake and pulled away from him, her mind screaming at her for being so vulnerable in front of him. She was so embarrassed that she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, not realizing the damage that was going to be done to their friendship. 

“J-just leave me alone! I can’t focus on the game with your constant talking and craziness. I just need to be away from ya, okay!” she said. She ran off to her quarters, leaving a very confused and hurt Octane in her wake. Now she was alone, laying in the dark, regretting her life choices, wishing that she didn’t react to him like that. 

“That’s it. Tomorrow, ya gonna apologize and get it together! Ya, a Che, you’re better than this!” she whispered to herself. Sitting up, she turned towards her desk where she saw a letter that wasn’t there before. It was clearly addressed to her, bearing her family's logo. Uneasiness settled in her stomach, reading that her parents had requested a meeting with her. Although she stated that she never wanted contact with them ever again, she decided to see what her family could want since they knew of her warning. She just hoped that it was something worthwhile in the end. 

After hours of struggling, she was finally feeling the sweet, sweet release of sleep coming over her, dreaming of the light touches and whispers in her ears that Octane left dancing on her skin. It was the best sleep she had gotten ever, and she loved every minute of it. But she would soon wish that she never woke up, seeing as the next morning she would experience the worst moment of her life. 

It came so suddenly that even the rest of the legends didn’t see it coming, not even Wraith. But Lifeline knew that she had caused this predicament and that this was just a result of her not owning up to how she felt. It was probably one of the worst things that could have happened to her. 

Octane had teamed up with Wattson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just had a big brain moment but what if there was a Princess and the Frog AU with Lifetane? That would be so cute! :3


	4. A True Friend

“Ajay? You okay?” Anita asked. 

Ajay couldn’t help but stare at Wattson and Octane talking so casually with each other. Even though she knew that she had put herself in this position, she didn’t expect him to come back so fast. It wasn’t that she hated Wattson or anything about her, it was just how she and Octane interacted. They literally seemed like two peas in a pod, possibly a bit closer than her own relationship with him. Although she didn’t want to admit it, she was jealous of the situation that she had put herself in. She recounted every step she took and every mistake she had made to get to this point. She knew that the whole point of her taking some time away from Octane was to recollect herself and get over her feelings for him. But she never knew that it was going to be this hard for her. 

As Wattson rattled on about one of her stories from spending time with her father, Octane slightly turned his head to look at Ajay, causing her to quickly avoid eye contact with him and turn her attention towards Bangalore, who was watching her with a look of concern. She could feel his eyes burning into her back even more than usual but channeled all her energy into what Anita was asking her at the moment. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Ajay asked. 

“It’s nothing, It’s just that you seem a little off right now…” Anita said. 

“Sorry, I’m just having some trouble being focused. But don’t worry, I’ll keep my head in the game, ya hear,” Ajay said confidently. 

As the intercom system in the dropship announced that they would be arriving at Kings Canyon in one minute, the two women got ready to talk about strategy and where to drop. As Ajay pointed out that maybe dropping at the Mirage Voyage would be a good idea, she immediately felt chills running down her back. When she whipped her head around, she saw Revenant staring intensely at her and Anita. It seemed that Anita could feel it too since the moment she turned around, he disappeared slowly behind a wall. 

“Okay I know Rev is creepy, but that was creepier than normal,” Ajay said. Anita was visibly sweating, trying her best to appear calm. But even Ajay could see the fear in her eyes, almost as if she knew something that she didn’t. Ajay reached out for her, trying to show some level of comfort, but Anita simply pulled away. She shook her head and walked towards their section, clearly wanting to focus on the upcoming match. Ajay got ready to walk up behind her when she felt someone grab her hand. 

“Ajay, wait,” Octane said. Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention to him, trying her best to keep her composure. She wasn’t quite ready to have a complete conversation with him. Even just looking into his goggle-covered eyes was enough to make her heartache. She wanted to burst, to tell him everything that she was feeling and yet she found herself wishing she could just kick his ass for once. She pulled her hand away, digging her finger into his chest. 

“It’s ya ass, Silva,” she said menacingly. Octane chuckled a little, clearly excited by Ajay’s determination. He always knew that she could be a stick in the mud but this new Ajay was something he had never experienced before. So much so that he wanted to see how far he could push her. He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, “Bring it then, chica,” before walking off excitedly. What he failed to see was Ajay blushing profusely and trying her best not to knock him out in an instant. She stomped over towards Anita, who looked at her oddly. Grabbing her hand, Ajay yanked her into the sky, ever approaching the ground. Octane couldn’t help but smile at her retreating figure before jumping into the fray herself. 

***

“I’ve got eyes on 'em. Ten o’clock,” said Lifeline. Lining up her Sentinel shot, she aimed directly at Caustic’s head as he tried to pick up Rampart. Although she never would willingly admit it out loud, she loved being a participant in the Apex games. The thrill of getting into a fight, on the verge of life or death, excited her. The stakes were always high and she loved being able to jump in every day, fighting to be the champion and claiming the glory for herself. Even though most of her winnings went to supporting the Frontier, she always found herself having fun. 

Without hesitation, he was down with one bullet. She reloaded her gun, whistling a happy tune to herself as she walked up to their death boxes and started looting them. Over the speakers throughout the arena, Lifeline was announced as the Kill Leader with four kills under her beat. She had yet to find Octane or Wattson in the arena but she was pretty proud of what she was able to do with her teammate. As she looked through Rampart’s box, she noticed Bangalore hanging back, looking around intensely as if she was looking out for someone. She had been acting weird for most of the game, but even Lifeline knew that this was quite unusual for her. Just as she was about to go and ask her what was up, a bullet whizzed past her head, nearly hitting her. 

She ducked behind a rock, just as more were coming her way. Quickly running to another corner, she was able to see that Wattson and Octane were closing in on them. She fired a couple of shots at Wattson, able to crack her shields and cause her assault to slow down for once. But what she didn’t expect was Octane to throw a jump pad down and land right in her face, throwing a couple of Mastiff shots at her. Luckily, Bangalore was able to throw a thermite grenade in their direction, allowing her to slip away from Octane and charge up her shields. Unfortunately for her, Octane trailed her and with one shot, she was down. She held up her Knockdown shield, but Octane was quick to shoot that down too, leaving her defenseless while Bangalore got into an intense battle with Wattson. As she laid there bleeding out, Octane sat next to her, smirking at the situation that Lifeline found herself in. 

“Oh screw you,” Lifeline said, straining her voice from the pain. 

“Relax Che, you can get some of the Octrain too,” he joked. She groaned in pain and laid down, wishing that she could just be on the dropship already. While the fight was still going on, the two got quiet, something that was quite unusual for Octane but not for Lifeline. She simply stared up at the sky, watching the clouds float by. 

“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked quietly. Before she could answer, she felt herself slowly letting go of her consciousness and finding herself in the dropship once more. Anita punched the ground, groaning in frustration. She immediately walked away and headed towards her quarters. Ajay followed her, worried about her friend. By the time she got there, Anita had already trashed her quarters. Papers were thrown everywhere, furniture knocked down, and a visible crack in her wall. She had taken off her armor and was sweating profusely in her white tank top. After taking a moment to rest, she noticed Ajay standing there. 

“Anita,” 

“Whatever bullshit you have going on, I don’t have the time to-” 

“What’s going on Anita? You were off the whole match and now you’re losing it. Do you need to tell me what’s going on? Let me be your friend,” Ajay started. She walked over to her and sat next to Anita on the bed, rubbing her back to comfort the ex-soldier. She sat there, taking a few breaths to calm herself down. 

“Who’s still in the arena right now?” Anita asked. 

“Loba, Revenant, Octane, and Wattson,” Ajay said quietly. Anita nodded her head, rubbing her hands on her face and trying to relax. 

“I’m… I’m in love with Loba,” she said quietly. Ajay gasped, giving her a huge hug. Anita slightly chuckled, but even Ajay could tell that there was some pain behind it. She had never seen her so sad before, almost as if she were a lost, injured puppy out in the cold. This was a side of her she had never seen before and she wondered if Loba didn’t return her feelings. 

“What’s wrong then?” she asked hesitantly. 

“Loba, she… she threw Revenant’s core into a phase runner. Ever since she did that, he’s vowed to kill anything she’s ever loved unless she finds it. I told her that she didn’t need to do it, that I would die for her before I ever let her lose her happiness but she refused. Now we can’t even be together, hoping that he doesn’t notice,” Anita said grimly. 

For the first time in her life, Anita Williams cried right in front of someone. Gone was her hard exterior and out came this woman who just wanted to be happy. Without hesitation, Ajay hugged her and just let the woman sobbing into her shoulder, hoping that she could ease some of the pain she was going through. But even she knew that Revenant was a ruthless killer, doing whatever it took to murder and make people suffer. Every day, Anita had to watch him stalk her and make sure that she and Loba could never be together, something that just made Ajay’s heartache. Whether it was out of pity or out of wanting to help her, Ajay knew that she had to be there for the one person that was always there for her. 

“I’ll help you,” Ajay said.

“How? We have no idea where that damn core could be. Not even you could find it,” she said. 

“But maybe I can. We’ll do some research, find out when Revenant was created, and I’ll talk… I’ll talk to my parents,” she said. 

“Ajay, no, you-”

“Let me do this for you. You’re one of my closest friends and I will do whatever it takes to get you to be with the one you love,” she said confidently. Anita laughed at her statement and hugged her once more, a genuine smile on her face. 

“Thank you. You will never know how much this means to me,” she whispered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter!
> 
> That being said, I wanted to let you all know that I plan on updating this fic every Sunday, so please look forward to that! Thank you all so much for sticking with me this far and I hope to see you all again soon!


	5. A Brief Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is getting released so late! I was up playing Apex and managed to make it to Gold 1 in ranked! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Ajay strutted up to the two women in the cafeteria and plopped down eagerly, a huge grin on her face that promptly annoyed Loba. Anita gave her an earnest smile back, knowing the reason why she had shown up so suddenly. The three were currently in the Apex Corporate building, eating the free food that they received due to their status as legends. Although it wasn’t the best, it was just good enough to become a comfort to them all in their times of need. 

“Alright, have you told her yet?” Ajay said eagerly. Anita simply shook her head, finding it hard to hide the smirk on her face. 

“What’s going on?” Loba said. She looked back and forth between the two before Ajay nodded her head in Anita’s direction. Grabbing her hand, Anita looked straight into Loba’s eyes, hoping that she could feel the amount of love that was practically pouring out of her. 

“Loba, we’re gonna look for Revenant’s core and destroy it,” Anita said. 

Loba immediately retracted her hand, a frown replacing her bewildered face. The mood at the table instantly shifted, making Ajay feel quite nervous. Ajay wasn’t quite good at handling confrontation, but she knew that she had to save Anita’s ass before it got too awkward. Clearing her throat, she took a swig of her apple juice before responding to Loba, saying, “We’re going to try and kill Revenant so that you two can finally be together.”

“When did you start scheming this?” Loba said angrily. Her hands had already balled themselves into fists and her face was conforming into one of hate and revenge. 

“Loba, please understand,” Anita pleaded. When she returned her look, Loba looked like she was completely hurt by the fact that the two were even considering this. 

“That demon took my parents away from me. He kills and he kills and he feels no remorse. I want him to suffer and killing him won’t allow that to happen. This conversation is over,” she said. 

She immediately got up from the table, strutting with such a fury that fire could have trailed from her feet and left burn marks on the floor. Anita called after her, grabbing all her stuff and chasing after the fiery woman. Ajay sighed, taking a bite of her sandwich as she watched their retreating forms. She couldn’t help but envy the two women, wishing that she could be as open as them about their feelings. Slapping her cheeks together, she silently reminded herself that she was going to get over her feelings for Octavio. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her book about the latest medical news and began finishing her lunch. 

What she didn’t notice while she ate her food, a very mopey and sad Octavio watched her from across the cafeteria, absentmindedly pushing his food around. He wasn’t feeling like the daredevil that he is. He hadn’t been chasing any thrills, nor was he attempting death-defying stunts. Octavio, for once, had been settling down for the moment, wishing that his lifelong friend would return to him once more. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even realize Natalie tapping him on the shoulder. 

“Well this is certainly a new sight,” she said. 

Octavio immediately jumped up in surprise, loudly dropping his fork on the table. He chuckled awkwardly, picking it back up and taking a bite of his salad. Natalie giggled and sat down next to him, opening up her own salad as well. Lately, the blond had been hanging around him a lot more and Octane wasn’t quite sure as to why. Maybe she was just looking to make new friends and naturally gravitated towards the most exciting guy in the games. Either way, Octavio didn’t mind her company. 

“So, what seems to be plaguing your mind, daredevil,” she said in her thick accent. 

“Ah it’s nothing, just thinking about the next stunt I can do in our next match! I might even try to get a mid-air R99 kill,” Octavio said. Natalie rested her head on her hand, giving him a look of disbelief. 

“Oh so it totally has nothing to with the fact that you and Ajay are speaking?” she said. 

“W-well Ajay said we just needed to try something new! I don’t mind, really. Things were getting a little boring,” he said. Octavio let out a hearty laugh, hoping that she would buy his lie. Instead, she shook her head, taking another bite of her food as she stared off into the distance. 

“Does she still talk to you?” she asked. 

“Yes and no…” he said quietly. Natalie could see the pain in his eyes, knowing that she was certainly going through something similar. She placed a hand on his own, giving him a look of understanding. 

“I’m currently dealing with something similar right now. A friend, well, maybe not a friend anymore, doesn’t trust me because of who I am. I can’t change that but I can heal because they were everything to me. I think that’s what you need too,” she said softly. Octavio smiled gently at her, perking up a bit more. 

“You’re right. Thanks, Natalie,” he said softly. 

The two laughed together, changing the subject and talking about how excited they were about their upcoming matches. Ajay simply watched the two, feeling a pang of jealousy in her heart. All she could wonder is what her life would be if he looked at her that way. She grabbed her trash, walked out of the cafeteria, and never looked back, not wanting to shed a tear until she got to her dorm. 

***

Ajay was currently sitting in her quarters, drying her hair off and turning on her t.v. to watch the latest episode of her favorite medical drama. After a long day of modifying her drone, she had taken a shower and got ready to relax. As shy as she was outside her home, Ajay was as comfortable as a turtle in its shell. Wearing only a tank top and her panties, she microwaved herself some popcorn and plopped on the couch. As she laid on her couch, slowly succumbing to the lull of sleep, she heard a large knock on her door. Groaning to herself, she pulled herself off the couch and headed towards the door. The minute she opened it, she immediately tried to slam it close again but to no avail. 

“G-get out!” she shouted. 

“WE NEED TO TALK!” Octavio said, pushing his way through. 

Getting the upper hand, he stumbled in awkwardly. It was just enough time for Ajay to hide behind one end of her couch to keep herself modest. She was blushing so hard that he had to notice how red she was becoming. Once he got his bearings, he looked at her weirdly. 

“You good?” he asked. 

“NO! What are you doing here?” she said. 

“I told you, we need to talk,” he said.

“Octavio, I told you-” 

“No, Ajay. I miss my friend and I want her back. Also, why are you hiding?” he said. 

“I’m not decent. But I didn’t have time to put on clothes because you came barging in like a maniac,” she said. 

Rolling his eyes, he walked right over to her and pulled her up, practically throwing her on the couch. Ajay was so shocked that she didn’t even have time to register the fact that he had done it so quickly. She covered herself, trying to show some form of modesty in front of her crush. She refused to meet his eyes, not wanting to face the music and her heart. 

“Let’s just get this over with,” she said, flustered. 

“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked. 

“I’m not avoiding you, I’m just taking a moment for myself, that’s all,” she said. 

“Ajay, I know when you’re lying,” he said. Groaning out loud, he forcefully turned her head so that she could look at him. When she did, she could see how much pain he was in, how badly he needed answers. She sighed, releasing the breath she had been holding, and looked down. She wasn’t ready to tell him just yet. So she did the next best thing. 

“I’m trying to help Loba and Anita right now,” she said. She took the moment to explain what was going on, giving him every detail of the plan they were trying to hatch for the two. He listened intently, choosing not to interrupt her explanation until the end. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. 

“Because you would have blabbed, Tavi. You know you can’t hold water,” she said. He nodded his head in agreement, thinking about all the times where he accidentally spilled the beans. 

“Okay, okay that’s true but you’ve never kept any secrets from me like that before. Promise me you won’t do that again, Ajay,” he said. 

“Tavi, I-”

“Ajay,” he said. He stared deep into her eyes, pleading with her in a way that tugged at her heartstrings. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she knew that in love or not, she and Octavio were soulmates through and through. 

“Okay, I promise,” she said softly. 

Without any hesitation, he gave her a warm, tight hug. She hugged him back, enjoying the warmth and security that he was giving her. As he hugged her, she squirmed a bit, trying to get out of his grasp but he was unrelenting. “Not this time, Che. You’re not getting out of this one,” he said happily. 

“Please, Tavi. I’m not… decent!” she said. He just so happened to look down and realize that she didn’t have a bra on under her tank and that she was wearing a thong, basically exposing her whole ass to him. He blushed, pulling away and realizing how flustered she was. 

“O-oh, sorry. Well, I guess I better hit the hay! See you tomorrow, Che!” he said. He zoomed out of the apartment, finally giving Ajay the chance to breathe. She hoped that she never woke up the next day so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the second-hand embarrassment that was sure to come. 


	6. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Here's the next update! Sorry, it's so late but I hope you all enjoy it!

Ajay was slipping on her pair of shoes when she heard a knock at her door. She didn’t expect anyone to visit her today since most of the legends took the day before their next match to finish any errands that they had going on. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Octavio, Anita, and Loba standing there at her door. She opened it wider, letting them all walk in. 

“Ya need something? What’s goin’ on?” she asked. 

“Well, we just wanted to update you. Loba?” Anita said. She nudged Loba’s arm, causing her to blush a little. She cleared her throat, trying to maintain some of her dignity before continuing. Ajay and Octavio just smiled, both happy to see the couple back to their normal routine. 

“We’ve decided that… we want to look for the demonio’s core…” she said. 

“Oh yeah? What changed your mind?” Ajay teased. 

“Do not test me, doc,” Loca responded sharply. 

“I’m just messin’ with ya. But I do want to know what changed ya mind?” she said. 

“It’s just that I’m tired of living my life constantly looking over my shoulder. That demon has haunted me for my whole life and I’ve only been focusing on getting revenge on him. I don’t want to keep living my life like this. I just want to be happy for once,” Loba said. 

“I want to be happy with you. I will risk my life if it means that I get to spend my life with you. We’re doing the right thing, babe. Trust me,” Anita said. 

She held Loba’s face, looking at her lovingly and leaning in for a kiss. Ajay intently watched them, absentmindedly shifting her gaze to Octavio while the two women kissed. He was watching them fondly, a lazy smile over his face. The way his strong jaw jutted out to the side and framed his neck while he watched the two lovers put Ajay in a trance. She was so lost in his features that she didn’t realize that he noticed her staring until it was too late. A huge blush formed on her face and she quickly turned away, clearing her own throat to get the couple’s attention. After what felt like forever, they finally pulled apart and held each other close. 

“Anyway, we’re gonna start some of our research today and wanted to know if we could use your place as a base station. We’d do most of our research here as well as compare notes. If that’s alright with you?” Anita asked hopefully. 

“Oh, of course, but do you think we could start after the match tomorrow? I’ve got some errands I need to run today,” she said. 

“Well can it wait? This is really important to us,” Anita said. 

“Well how about you all stay here and I’ll go run them myself,” she said. 

“Really? Thanks! Think you can wait a couple more minutes? We just need to get our stuff and we’ll be good to go,” Anita said. 

“Yeah, of course. I’ll set ya up in my office for now,” she said. 

The two women left hand in hand, practically running out the door like children chasing the ice cream truck. Ajay chuckled a little, walking to her spare room to set up the spare futon in her office to help get them set up. Octavio followed her, coming up behind her to help set up the bed for the two girls. Ajay was tucking the sheets in a corner of the bed. 

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” he said to her. She looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time that day. 

“I know. But if it’s those two, I’ll help no matter what,” she said. She returned her gaze to her task. 

“You always want to save the world. When are you gonna take a break?” he said jokingly. 

“I never quit, remember that,” she joked. 

She put the finishing touches on the bed and walked into her own room to grab her backpack and check to see if she had everything in it. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize Octavio had come up behind her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, wrapping her in a tight hug. She instantly froze, not knowing how to react to this sudden affection that she was feeling. But she jumped when she felt his breath on her ear, traveling down to her collar bone. She got goosebumps, trying her best not to give away how much she wanted to release that breath she had been holding in for what seemed like forever. 

“Chica,” he whispered. “I’m so glad we’re not fighting anymore.” She instantly pulled away, turning and bonking him on the head. Even though she was breathing heavily, she tried her best to seem fine. Luckily for her, Octavio didn’t notice how on edge she was and gave her his cheekiest grin that he could muster. 

  
“Well, I should be heading out. I’ll see ya later,” she said. 

“Oh wait, maybe I could head out with you,” he said. 

“No, it’s fine. I mean, someone’s gotta let Anita and Loba back in,” she said quickly. 

“Oh, that’s true. Okay well, I’ll see you later for dinner,” he said. 

“Of course!” she spoke. 

She waved goodbye and swiftly headed out the door, hopeful that she didn’t cause enough suspicion and that he didn’t question her further. He sat on her bed, thinking about all the crazy nights they shared ever since he started his career in the games. He saw DOC on the charging station and decided to wake the little guy up. But as he approached the health drone, he noticed something written on the corner of her desk. When he opened it up, he frowned, trying not to let his anger get to him. 

***

Walking into her mother’s office, she realized how long it had been since she had last been there. She remembered the days when she was but a child, barely on the cusp of puberty but not quite there. She would constantly ask her mom if she could play with her, whether it was her dolls or simply having a tea party. Her mother would always promise to be there, saying little things like  _ ‘I promise baby, in a minute,’  _ or  _ ‘One second Ajay, I’m busy. I’m coming, I promise.’  _ She always believed her, waiting patiently and hoping that if she was a good little girl, her mother would eventually reward her with attention. 

But the older she got, the more she realized that it would never come. She was slowly being molded into the perfect little girl, the model child for her parents. She was always shown off, quiet, and learned her place quickly whenever her parents needed her to fall into her role. As a ballet dancer in front of a huge crowd, Ajay was the spectacle of the Che family. The shining diamond in the rough. 

“You made it. Why don’t you take a seat?” her mother said. 

“I’d prefer to stand. Don’t want to sit on dirty money like ya and dad,” she said. 

“Fine. I’ll get right to it then,” Cherisse said. 

She walked over to her desk and poured her a glass of white wine. She sniffed it a little, taking in the sweet aroma before taking a sip and sitting in her chair. Ajay could tell that her mother was a little too calm for her liking. But she knew that there was something up, something that she was plotting. It was completely normal for her mother to be this way; Ajay was just completely on edge. 

“I want you to come home, honey,” Cherisse said sweetly. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Ajay said. She chuckled, trying her best not to laugh out loud. 

“I’m completely serious,” she said. 

“Ya think ya can profit off the war, hurting thousands of lives in the process, and expect me to come home? Ya must be out of ya damn mind,” she said. 

“Watch your mouth, Ajay. I won’t tell you again,” she said. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on listening anymore,” she said. Ajay began heading to the door, getting ready to leave. However, the moment she got her hand on the door, her mother made her an offer that she almost couldn’t refuse. 

“Five hundred million dollars,” Cherisse said. Ajay turned around and stared at her. 

“What?” she whispered. 

“Five hundred million dollars sent to the Frontier corps if you come home,” she said. Setting down her glass of wine, she walked over to her daughter, slowly reaching out to touch the frame of her face. Ajay shied away, refusing to look at her. 

“Ajay, I know it’s hard to believe but I want to make this work. Whether you like it or not, we’re family. We need to stick together,” Cherisse whispered. Ajay backed away from her, leaning against the door. 

“You should’ve thought about that before you and dad ruined lives,” she sneered. 

“Fine. I’ll give you a week,” Cherisse said. 

Ajay promptly walked out of the office, refusing to look back. Cherisse simply watched her down the hall before walking back into her office. She sat down at her desk and dialed a number on her cell, waiting a few minutes for the other person on the line to pick up. 

“Have you found it?” she said. 

“Yeah, it was on Salvo of all places. Thank God we got there before the warlord found it,” the other person said. 

“Good. Send it to Hammond. Tell them I want to make a deal,” she said. 


	7. A Visit From the Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, friends! I would've uploaded this yesterday if it weren't for the fact that I forgot it was Valentine's Day! 😃 Anyway, enjoy this chapter and let me know what ya think!

“I think I got something!” Ajay yelled. She was currently sitting on her couch surrounded by Octavio, Loba, and Anita. There were notes everywhere, food, and blankets strewn all over the place. The group of friends had been there for days, researching and finding whatever they could about Revenant’s core. In the beginning, they had no luck, finding dead ends, no leads, and random articles that weren’t even remotely related. It was nighttime now, and the group was getting tired and sleepy. But while they were on the edge of giving up, Ajay finally made the breakthrough that she needed. 

“What is it? What did you find?” asked Loba eagerly. She pointed to her screen, looking at an article that showed Hammond Lab’s architects searching through the desert on Kings Canyon.

“Hey, send me that link for a sec?” Anita said. Ajay nodded her head, typing quickly on her computer and waiting for the small sound of email notifications to pop up on their own computers. 

“Hammond, huh…” Octavio whispered. 

“Do ya think that maybe they found it?” Ajay said. 

“It’s possible. But if we’re gonna look for this, we might need to come clean to some people. We’re gonna need all the help we can get and that’s a whole lot of dessert to cover,” Anita said. 

“Maybe Bloodhound? Or Horizon?” Loba said. 

“I think that Natalie and Crypto would be some good help as well,” Octavio said. Ajay immediately gave him a funny look, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Anita. She gave her a look of pity, feeling bad that the young girl had to go through something like that. 

“Natalie? Do you mean Wattson? Since when did you two become so chummy?” Loba teased. 

“Probably around the same time as you two.”

Immediately the legends were on edge, looking around the room for the voice that wasn’t one of their own. Anita and Loba immediately pulled out a Mozambique and a RE-45, taking each corner to scout out where the voice was coming from. Octavio immediately pushed her behind him, shielding her from whatever danger was coming. Ajay couldn’t help but smile at him, smitten with his overprotectiveness. But even she knew this wasn’t the time to get caught up in her feelings. Not when she could clearly see Revenant emerging from the shadows, chuckling evilly to himself. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Loba asked angrily. 

“Why I was looking for you, little girl,” he said, purposefully drawing out ‘girl’ to send chills down Loba’s spine. She shook off her nerves and aimed her gun right at his head. 

“Answer her, asshole,” Anita said. 

“If it weren’t for the fact that I’m not here to kill you right now, you would be as dead as Forge right now,” he said. Ajay could tell that the robot was getting antsy, his patience waning thin. Deciding to be the middleman, she walked from behind Octavio and lowered both Loba and Anita’s weapons, hoping that Revenant got the sign that they were no threat. Octavio flinched, wanting to pull her back but choosing to see how she would handle it. 

“Finally, a person with some sense,” he said. 

“Just please tell us why ya here, Rev,” she said. 

“I want in on your operation. In return, I won’t kill you all. Sounds like a killer deal, right?” he spoke. 

“Charming, but no. We’re gonna need more than that,” Ajay said. 

“Oh? Go on, doc,” he said. He sat down in one of the chairs, getting comfortable. There was a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach and yet she did everything she could to stay calm. But even she knew that he was watching her every move, every breath, and every single drop of sweat that ran down her chest. 

“If we get ya your core and destroy it… then ya will not only not kill us, but ya won’t target us in the games,” she said. 

“Oh, that’s not gonna happen. I already know that it’s at Hammond so I’ll just barge in and take it. Taking you out right now would be easy,” he said. He slowly crept up to her and stalked towards her. Both Loba and Anita immediately lifted their guns, trying to protect her as best as they could. 

“Yeah ya could, except ya don’t know if they really have it or not. If they do, ya gonna need our help getting it and they can easily erase whatever memories ya have now so that ya never attempt this again,” she said. 

He grumbles to himself, his eyes turning into a bright yellow. Before any of them even knew it, Revenant’s arm turned into a spike and was aimed at Ajay’s throat. Octavio immediately tried to reach out to her but was held back by Anita. 

“You think you’re better than me? I won’t hesitate to skin you alive, taking my time to make sure you feel your skin being separated from your nerves. I would love to hear what screams you would make, doc,” he said. 

“Yeah, ya would, wouldn’t ya? But even you know that ya need us. So ya can either kill me and screw ya’self over or ya can comply just this once and take the best chance ya got!” Ajay said. She was breathing heavily, scared out of her mind. Her hands were shaking, she could feel tears forming on her eyes, and her hair was standing straight up on her neck. But she kept her eye contact with the killer robot. After a couple of seconds, he retracted his arm and stared down at her. She never moved once. 

“I like you, doc. You’re feisty. Fine, I’ll agree. But if you keep me waiting for too long, then you’ll be the first one on my hit list,” he whispered. 

“Trust me, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said. 

Revenant nodded his head in affirmation, walking towards her window and opening it up. He turned his head and looked back at the group, keeping his gaze on Ajay for a few seconds more before hopping out. Ajay immediately gasped for air and dropped to her knees, trying her best to settle her nerves. Octavio pushed past Loba and Anita, immediately checking on Ajay. 

“Water, she needs water now,” he said. Anita nodded and headed straight for the kitchen while Loba stood there, still in shock at what happened. 

“Ajay, look at me, now,” Octavio said. Ajay lifted her head, focusing her eyes on him as Anita handed him the glass. He brought it to her lips, making her drink it all until she was able to calm down a bit more. Anita took her own time to make sure Loba was okay, getting her to finally notice that she was there. When the two women were finally okay, the room was left in a silence that had never happened before. 

“Ajay, what the hell were you thinking?!” Octavio yelled at her. 

“He was gonna kill us, Tavi! I couldn’t let him do that!” Ajay yelled back. 

“I don’t care, you could’ve died just now. You’re not invincible!” He yelled back. 

“Guys! Please, stop. Fighting will get us nowhere,” Anita said. She was currently rubbing Loba’s back, trying to get her to calm down a bit more. However, even Ajay could tell that she was shaken up as well. 

“You’re right. I think we need to let all of the legends know what’s going on,” Octavio said. 

“And risk putting everyone’s lives in danger? No way,” Ajay said. 

“But he’s right,” Loba said. She walked away from Anita and headed towards the window where Revenant fell from. She touched it absentmindedly, thinking of the same memory that plagued her mind for nights on end. “If we keep hiding this, more people are bound to find out. We’re going to need all the help that we can get right now.” 

“I can talk to Crypto and Wattson, tomorrow. He can probably hack into Hammond’s firewall,” Anita said. 

“Honestly, I think we should all turn in for the night. Today was pretty rough on all of us. Ajay, can we still crash here?” Anita said. 

Ajay nodded her head and the two women left for their room, deciding that enough was enough. Ajay tried to stand up, but her legs were weak, causing her to wobble and fall once more. Octavio chuckled and immediately picked her up, something that she barely protested. 

“Wow, Che, you’re as light as a feather,” he said. 

“Shut up, Tavi,” she whispered tiredly. 

He carried her to her bedroom, gently laying her on her bed. She was already wearing her pajamas so he just needed to tuck her in. But the next thing that he did that surprised her got under the sheets with her, causing her to blush. He immediately noticed and blushed himself, looking everywhere but her. 

“Um, Tavi?” she whispered. 

“What? I’m tired too and your couch isn’t as comfy as you think it is, Che. It’s like laying on bricks,” he said. She couldn’t help but giggle, knowing that she had had that couch for years now and that it was probably time for a new one. She didn’t realize that he was watching her, taking his own sigh of relief to see her alright. Without thinking, he pulled her into his chest, cuddling her. 

“This is just like old times, huh,” he whispered to her. 

“Yeah when we used to have those sleepovers while our parents got drunk every night talking about stocks and how rich they were,” Ajay said quietly. 

“Money hungry bastards…” Octavio said. 

“Well we definitely learned from the best, didn’t we,” she spoke. The two chuckled a little, sighing to themselves at the many horrible memories that they endured under their picture-perfect parents. Soon, they fell into a silence, Ajay slowly succumbing to sleep’s compelling lullaby in the form of Octavio’s heartbeat. She was so far gone that she barely registered that Octavio had said anything to her. 

“What are you doing to me, Che?” he whispered. She knew he had been worried about her, probably nearly traumatized by her conversation with Revenant. He never used to be this affectionate with her, but even she knew that he must have been scared out of his mind when he saw Revenant’s arm blade near her throat. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes, choosing to let sleep overtake her for once. She would attempt to ask in the morning what he meant, but would eventually forget, lost in the bliss of the way he held her all night. What she didn’t know was that even in his dreams, he couldn’t get her out of his mind, no matter how many times he tried to run away. 


	8. The Breaking Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> I'm sorry I didn't upload this fic last Sunday. The honest truth...
> 
> I was grinding it out on Apex and completely forgot :D
> 
> But I have made up for it by writing this extra-long, juicy chapter for you all! Please forgive me and I shall resume back to my usually scheduled updates! Please comment and follow me on Twitter at @mistasnut for any and all updates on this fic! Please enjoy! :3

“So, that’s the story,” Anita said, looking around the room. However, she was only met with silence, something that worried Ajay to her core. They had just finished up another one of the matches when she called a meeting for all the legends back at the dropship. After talking with Anita and Loba, Ajay and the rest of them agreed that they would let the legends know what was going on with them and Revenant. Naturally, when she had first mentioned the meeting, the killer robot was nowhere to be found, choosing to opt-out of the conversation. It was typical of his nature, so it didn’t surprise her much. 

The only thing she was concerned about was that she hadn’t seen much of Octavio that day, as he had left as well before she had woken up. She was quite disappointed, missing his warmth instantly. She had finally made some form of progress in the affection department with him, but she just felt even more confused about her feelings. Each minute she spent with him, she realized that she was slowly unraveling the walls she had put up to keep him from finding out. Taking her thoughts away from the stim addict, she focused on being a support system for Loba and Anita. She didn’t have time to worry about this right now. 

“Well, that’s quite a predicament, eh,” Dr. Somers said uneasily. 

“Looking at the probability of us actually finding the core, as well as Hammond not having found it first, I would say that the odds are not in our favor, and therefore, I will not be participating in this,” Dr. Nox said. 

“I’m out too,” Tae Joon said abruptly. 

“Yeah, I don’t really see what’s in it for us, mate. It honestly sounds like a problem between you and ol’ murder robot over here,” Ramya said. 

“But why?” Anita said. Loba could see her fists shaking and her brow furrowing. It was the telltale sign that Anita was getting frustrated, but she was trying to keep her calm for Loba’s sake. She always knew that the ex-soldier always had a temper, especially when it came to her loved ones. But even Ajay could tell that this time was different, that she was desperate. It had become something much more than just about them, but the power that Hammond Labs seemed to have over people and their lives. 

“Uh, maybe cause the last time that we risked our necks for your girlfriend over there, we almost got erac- eric- deaded. By the same said murder robot and shadow realm,” Elliot deadpanned. 

“I know, but if you all just listened for just a moment-” Anita started. 

“I’m sorry comrade. May the gods and Artur watch over you,” Bloodhound said abruptly. 

As the legends started to walk away, Anita dropped to her knees. Her knuckles were white and she was biting her lip so hard that she drew blood. Loba knelt beside her, rubbing her back out of comfort. It was the first time Ajay had seen her once hardened friend look so helpless. As she placed her hands on the floor, getting ready to beg for her one chance at happiness, Ajay beat her to it. It was during this moment that Octavio had just so happened to walk into the main area of the dropship, his eyes focusing on Ajay and the scene before him. 

“Ya bastards should be ashamed of ya selves! Calling us a family when ya won’t be there for one another!” Ajay yelled. 

“Woah there doc, calm down now,” Elliot said, trying to reason with her. He reached out for her but she swatted his hand away, glaring at him. 

“How many times have we saved ya ass in the ring, Elliot. Too many times that I can count,” she said. She walked up to Ramya, digging her finger into her chest. “Ya too, especially when ya needed help with injuries from ya test runs on ya guns,” she said. 

“The point is, we’re not perfect. Every one of us has made some mistake but we stuck around and helped. That’s just how we are! If you can really sit here and call us family, but won’t help, then ya dead to me! I will always, always be there for the ones I love!” she screamed. Tears nearly threatened to spill out her eyes, but she held her head high. She didn’t notice the warm looking that Octavio was giving her from afar. He simply crossed his arms and leaned on the wall, watching her. 

“Okay. I’m in, darlin’” Dr. Somers said. Anita gasped as one of the newest legends skipped over and hugged her. “Oh,  _ dinnae fash yersel  _ sweets. What you two have is real. We’ll find that core,” she said in a motherly tone. Loba couldn’t help but smile, tears threatening to spill. 

“Papa would be ashamed of me if I didn’t help too. I’m in,” Natalie said happily. She began to walk over when Tae Joon stopped her, giving her a look of concern as he gripped her hand tightly. 

“Natalie, the Syndicate,” he said. He tried to hide his worried tone in his voice but he was doing a horrible job at it. 

“I know. But even I am starting to realize that the Syndicate is not at all what it’s cracked up to be. Besides,” she said. She turned towards Anita and Loba, smiling sweetly at them before saying, “they’re perfect for each other. I won’t let anything get in the way of love.”

“Then I’m coming too,” Tae Joon said hastily. 

“Ay, cheer up bruddah! We’re all in this together!” Makoa said happily. 

“I’m happy to help, friend!” Pathfinder said. 

Ajay’s heart swelled, happy to see many of the legends going to comfort Loba and Anita. Renee silently walked over, patting Ajay’s shoulder and telling her she was surprised she had a backbone. Ramya and Elliot realized how bad they felt and also declared to help, apologizing for their actions. Bloodhound apologized as well, realizing their mistake and how they believed that it was fate for them to be on this mission. The most surprising member to join was Dr. Nox, who grumpily agreed to help, stating that he was only helping for research purposes. Ajay didn’t tease him but even she could see that he had a heart underneath all that poisonous gas. 

As she went over the plan for how they would sneak onto the arena when it wasn’t heavily guarded, Octavio kept his eyes trained on her. What had once been a look of admiration now turned into one of confusion. He swiftly turned away, hoping to clear his thoughts with a quick workout in the gym. He had hoped that maybe he could forget his confusing feelings just focus on the adrenaline he got for the games. Octavio Silva stopped for no one. 

Not even his family. 

***

After some hacking by Tae Joon, as well as some reminders of how the night would work, the legends made their way to Kings Canyon using Mirage’s party boat. Using the jump tower near them, they quickly made their way towards the dessert. 

“Okay, everyone! Find what you can. If you manage to find any evidence that there might be something that leads us to Hammond or his core, let us know! Move out!” she yelled. 

The legends split off into groups, Ajay finding herself with Mary while Octavio was with Natalie. It was quite obvious that Anita and Loba were going to work together, but the funniest pairing was seeing Crypto and Dr. Nox working together. She hoped that the two men wouldn’t cause too much trouble for them. As she used her drone as a metal detection device, she noticed how chummy Octavio and Natalie had been. They were joking around, like how she and Octavio used to do when they were kids. But unlike the feeling back then, her heart filled with a feeling that she hated once more: jealousy. 

“Oh, dear. Ya got it bad, don’t ya,” Mary said. Ajay whipped her head around and scoffed, crossing her arms and looking anywhere but Mary’s eyes. 

“I don’t know what ya talkin’ bout’,” Ajay said quietly. There was a moment of silence, something that even made Ajay nervous. But eventually, Mary broke the silence. 

“Ya know, it’s okay to have them,” Mary said. 

“Have what?” Ajay said. 

“Feelings,” Mary said. Ajay sighed and realized that she wasn’t gonna get out of this one, knowing that Mary was like a mother to all of the legends unofficially. 

“It’s just… I’ve known him since we were babies. Sure I’ve had crushes and boyfriends before but nothing ever like this. It shouldn’t have happened at all and yet…” Ajay trailed off. 

“Yet ya love him, don’t cha,” Mary said. 

“I just…” she quietly said. Mary smiled and put her hand on Ajay’s shoulder. Ajay looked up at her, her eyes shining brightly underneath the stars with worry and confusion. 

“Yer a smart girl Ajay. Good head on yer shoulders and a bright future. But if you don’t take that leap and grasp what could possibly be yer only chance at true happiness?  _ Dinnae  _ know about you but I’ve spent the last eighty-seven years trying to get that same happiness back,” she said. 

She walked away, leaving Ajay there in shock. Her mind was a jumbled mess, thinking of every possible moment that she spent with Octavio. She remembered when he came to her concerts back in her Flyer Liar days and kicked some guy’s ass for trying to hit on her. As much as she kept telling him no, the guy kept persisting, causing Octavio to give a good knuckle sandwich to his face. She remembered the first time when she healed up a scrape on his cheek when they were kids. He had been running in the woods when he got a huge cut on his cheek from a sharp branch. He was crying so hard, but one bandage later and he was giving her his signature goofy smile. 

It was all of those moments combined that helped Ajay realize that she had been in love with Octavio Silva for quite some time now, but never recognized it. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice that Anita had run-up to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

“Ajay, did you hear me?” Anita said. 

“W-what? Sorry, what did ya say?” Ajay said. 

“We think we’ve got something,” Anita said. 

They rushed over to the group, seeing Pathfinder excitedly jump up and down as he pointed down to a cellphone that was buried deep into the sand. Ajay realized that she was the last one to get there, mentally cursing Mary for messing with her brain. When she saw the item, she realized that Hammond must have definitely been there. Crypto picked it up and went through the phone for a few minutes, before setting his gaze on Ajay. 

“What?” Ajay asked. 

“It’s just… are you sure you want to see this?” 

“Just spit it out, Crypto,” she said. 

“After looking through this phone, there is a call log to someone named  _ C _ . There is also information in there about the  _ Frontier Project.  _ I’m going to need more time since this is a burner phone. I can figure out what the number belongs to, but I think I might have an idea…” he trailed off. 

“Because of an email in one of the contacts… it’s someone, a woman, with the same last name as you…” Crypto said. 

There was a bit of silence, causing Octavio to push his way to the front of the group as he stared intensely at Ajay. He knew exactly what she was thinking and he didn’t like it, not one bit. Nonetheless, she cleared her throat and looked right at Crypto. “Let’s head back to the dropship. I’ll see what I can plan next,” she said. 

Everyone immediately agreed, heading straight to the dropship after sensing the tension between the two best friends. Pathfinder, however, stayed, not quite understanding human emotion until he was forcefully dragged away by Elliot. “But wait, our friends are back there!” Pathfinder exclaimed. Elliot shook his head, telling the robot that they needed some time alone and that they needed to work on the robot’s self-awareness skills. Once they were gone, the two were left alone, listening to the quiet breeze that whistled through the nights. 

“I know you went to see her, Che,” he said. 

“Tavi-”

“Don’t Tavi me,  _ chica _ ! Why didn’t you tell me?” he said. 

“Because I knew that you would react like this! I have every right to talk to her if I want to! If I go see her, then maybe I can help Anita and Loba!” she screamed. 

“Ajay, I don’t care about them if it means you’re gonna hurt yourself. I know they’re offering to help support the Frontier. It’s a trap Ajay, you’re smarter than this,” he said sternly. 

“Why do you even care, Tavi? You haven’t cared before and now you do? Why don’t you stay out of business?” she said. 

“Because you started hiding secrets from me when you promised that you wouldn’t! Then you go and act like you have to save the world to make up for your parent's mistakes. Why can’t you realize that this is a trap!” he screamed back. His voice cracked a little, causing Ajay’s heart to crack into pieces. She wanted to give in to his charm, but then she would be giving in to what he wanted like she always did. For once, she needed to stand tall and keep her head high because she knew that she was doing the right thing. As much as the truth hurt, she knew that the stakes were high and that Revenant wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. He needed to understand that. 

“They need me! If I don’t act, then that bastard Revenant will kill them all! He’ll kill everyone, including you! I can’t lose you, Tavi! Not when I-” she said. She caught herself, covering her mouth to stop herself from speaking the next words that would change her life. 

“When what, Ajay? I’m tired of the secrets. You’ve changed and I don’t know who you are anymore. Please, just tell me what’s going on with you...” he said. 

She took deep breaths, trying to keep her heart in check since she realized that she couldn’t keep her feelings in check anymore. Meeting his gaze, she studied his face. He had taken off his goggles and mask, revealing his bright green eyes and strong jaw. She remembered that little boy that barely grew into those goggles. She remembered the teen who proudly sported them when he would cheer her on at her shows. She even remembered the man lying in his hospital bed, the goggles attached to his eyes to hide the pain of not living a life full of adrenaline. One look at his face and everything she had built up came completely undone. 

“I’m in love with ya, Tavi,” she said. She looked right into his eyes, waiting for his reaction to her confession. For the first time in her life, the adrenaline addict wasn’t moving as he was stunned into silence. Her heart was beating in her ears at this point, her face flushed and ears red. The anxiety was building in her stomach but she kept looking at him, hoping and praying for anything. 

But when he looked away, her heart immediately sunk into a pit of despair she had never known before. 

“ _ Hermana,  _ I… I don’t love you like that…” he said quietly. When he finally looked up at her, she was putting on the best poker face. He couldn’t tell her reaction at all, but even he knew that she wasn’t her usual self. She smiled at him, sighing to herself. 

“Well, it’s good to finally get that out. Kudeh, it’s been eating me alive! C’mon, we gotta get back to the ship,” she said. She stretched her arms and started making her way to the ship. 

“C-Che! Wait! H-hold-” he said, chasing after her. However, she stopped, turning back to look at him. Her eyes were red, but she had no tears on her face because she refused to let him see her when she was weak. She looked down, smiling at the sand like it was the most interesting thing in the world. It felt like forever when she finally spoke to him. 

“It’s okay, Octavio. Let’s get back to the others.”

He watched her figure retreat towards the ship, him following after. He didn’t know what to do in a situation like this, so he could only hope that some time away from her would give him the chance to think about the situation. The ride back was tense as Ajay stayed only in Anita’s section of the dropship, which was towards the back. He kept getting worried glances from Natalie and dirty looks from Loba and Anita. He sunk further into his seat, looking out the window and tapping his foot vigorously. For once, he didn’t know what to do at all. 

It was only three days later that he finally tried to talk to her, only to find that her station on the dropship was empty. He checked her apartment and saw that it too was empty. When he tried calling her, he kept getting her voicemail. He tried talking to Anita and Loba, but they looked away, saying that they wanted to respect her wishes until the announcement was made. He was confused at first, not knowing what they meant until he turned on his television that night and saw on the news the one headline that caused him to nearly break his chair. 

**_“Lifeline, aka Ajay Che, has officially left the Apex Games.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I head cannon Horizon being the literal mom of the group, figuratively and literally. 
> 
> Anyway, don't forget to comment and let me know if you want to see Fuse show up in this anytime soon? Until next time! :3


	9. New Beginnings From the Past

She smoothed out her dress and brushed a stray stand behind her ear, adjusting the headband that held her hair back. She was attending a dinner, heavily requested by her mother so that she could get acquainted with some of their old contacts. She had always hated these dinners ever since she was a kid. They were boring, always filled with small talk and music that would nearly put her to sleep in a matter of minutes. She remembered how she would always be super shy, often not wanting to talk to half of the people that her parents introduced her to. Nonetheless, she forced herself to put on a brave smile for her parents. After all, she didn’t plan on staying with them for too long. 

Ever since she saw that message mentioning her mother’s name, she knew that they were up to something. Ajay knew that her parents were like two peas in a pod when it came to their schemes. Often, they would try and lure her in, showing her that in the world they lived in, there was always a survival of the fittest mentality. But Ajay knew that she was different, believing that life didn’t have to constantly be a battle for power. She knew that there was so much more to life than just living comfortably. She learned that much from…

She pressed her lips together and sucked in a shaky breath. She had too much to do. A silly little former crush wasn’t going to bring her down now. Making sure that her makeup was intact, she slipped on her black heels and walked out the room, followed by her butlers. She was going to save her friends. Even if it meant risking her own happiness. 

***

Octane slid behind the desk and steadied his breathing. He was caught up in Grow Towers, being attacked by Bloodhound and Pathfinder. He knew that he had to lead them away from Wattson, who was trying to self revive in a secluded area near them. However, he was in a bit of a pinch himself, being that he had only two shield cells left and a medkit. His shields were only about halfway charged and they were gaining on him. The only play he had was throwing massive amounts of grenades that he had picked up along the way. 

“Fire in the hole!” he yelled. As soon as Pathfinder stepped one foot in the door, he was hit by an arc star and a thermite grenade. The frag grenade was the last one to put a nail in the coffin since the robot had already been downed from the thermite. Taking no chances, he began firing shots at Bloodhound, whose shields began cracking. He took that time to use his last two cells and charge forward, hoping to catch the hunter off guard. When he rounded the corner, he aimed his R-301 at them, only to find no one there. It was then that he looked up to them pointing a Flatline right at his face. It only took a few bullets before he was down. 

“Good fight,  _ félagi  _ fighter. Keep your pride,” they said. 

“Yeah but the match isn’t over, is it?” he said. 

It was almost as if he could see their eyes widen behind their mask as Wattson lined up her charged sentinel shot right at their head. It ended within a second as the announcer came on and announced the duo as winners. He closed his eyes, letting his excitement bubble up in his stomach. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was back in the dropship with Wattson, who gave him a high five. He jumped excitedly, cheering loudly. 

“Great job! You were electric!” she said cheerfully. 

“Hells yeah! That was awesome! Did you see me out there, Ch-” he said, stopping himself immediately. The whole room went silent, knowing the words that were about to come out his mouth. Even if he didn’t admit it, everyone knew he was hurting inside ever since Ajay’s departure. He was slowly, but surely, losing the spark that he had before she left. Natalie slowly dropped her smile when she realized his mistake. She touched his shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. 

“Octavio is-” 

“Y-yeah. I’m just  _ muy somnoliento _ . I think I need some rest right now,” he said, chuckling a little to ease some of the awkwardness. She nodded and he walked away from the legends, ignoring the glare that Anita was giving him. Loba shook her head at Anita, who just scoffed at his antics. 

Once he was at his part of the ship, he laid down on the makeshift cot and closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest after his intense match. He deserved this win and knew that no matter what anyone told him, he wasn’t the one in the wrong here. But even as he told himself that, his dreams were plagued with thoughts of her bright smile, her soft eyes, and her pink locks flowing in the wind. It was safe to say that he wasn’t getting much rest on the way back to the apartments. 

***

Ajay sat at her parent's table drinking a glass of champagne, trying to let the bubbly liquid help clear her thoughts. She was staring blankly at the stage when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She looked up to see her mother, who was lightly pulling her away from the table. “W-wait lemme just-” she started. 

“When we get up there, you just smile like you’re having a good time,” Cherisse said. 

“And if I don’t,” she said quietly.

Cherished sighed and looked into her daughter’s face, cupping her cheeks. She smiled, a loving smile that Ajay had never seen before from her mother. It was the type of smile that if she was younger, she would have fallen for. But even she knew that there was a performance behind that smile, her true intentions hidden. “Ajay, I mean it when I say I just want us to be a family again. I promise you, with time, we’ll be okay again,” Cherisse said. Ajay nodded, giving her mother a cheeky grin and hugging her, trying her best not to flinch from the contact. 

The two women met up with her father at the stage, the family ascending the stairs and looking out into the crowd. Ajay never liked the spotlight, hating all the cameras and peering eyes that were trying to analyze them and figure out how the Che family was going to shake their world. Ajay felt some nervousness in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it down as best as she could. 

“Good evening and thank you for attending this historic night. As you all know, this is our first time attending a Frontier Corps Charity event, so it was delightful to meet everyone and hear everything that you all have been working hard for,” she said. 

Ajay tensed up, silently cursing herself for not noticing the event they were at. Her eyes scanned the room and she finally noticed the many various signs and gifts about the event. Her gaze quickly shifted to her mother, who was continuing with her speech. There was unease creeping up on her, telling her that they were up to something but she kept her mouth shut, waiting to see what would happen next. 

“As you may know, my daughter, Ajay, has decided to leave the Apex Games and return home. Dedicating most of her winnings to the Frontier Corps, I didn’t want her to give up her dream of helping others and giving back. That is why the Che family will be pledging five hundred million dollars to the organization. We are so proud of our daughter and we want her to be proud of us as well. Thank you!” Cherisse said happily. 

Ajay felt herself blush when her mother came over and pulled her and her father close. They posed for pictures, many of the flashing cameras flooding her ears. To others, they assumed that she was flattered by her parents' actions and they're supporting her. But in her eyes, she knew that this was just another act to hide what they were planning. Her mother making that announcement made Ajay realize that she was planning something worse. Bearing through her anger, she gave a huge grin as another camera flashed in her face. 

***

Octane laid down in his bed, silently going through his social media as the day wasted away. He had gone for a run and even a DMX bike ride but none of those activities could satiate his hunger for a thrill. The only time he felt this was the day he woke up after losing his legs. All he wanted to do was move, to go and yet he had ruined the one thing he needed to keep him going. He remembered how much he loved his heartbeat threatening to jump out of his chest and how he would do anything to get that back. He would even go as far as asking…

He groaned loudly and rubbed his face. Ever since she confessed, he hadn’t been able to get Ajay out of his mind. No matter where he looked, or wherever he went, the ghost of her seemed to follow him everywhere. As much as he kept telling himself that he didn’t feel that way about her, that she was his  _ hermana,  _ his heart kept jumping at the thought of her. It was as if her finally admitting her feelings to him lit a fire in him that he didn’t realize was there. But the longer she was away, the more he realized that maybe he was afraid to admit his lingering feelings for the doctor. 

He kept scrolling through the tag with his name, reading comments from his fans and how they loved him or wondered what happened with him and Ajay. As he kept scrolling, he noticed that the ‘Frontier’ and ‘Che’ were trending at the moment. When he looked, he saw Ajay smiling with her family, wearing a beautiful gold dress with spaghetti thin straps and a slit up the left side of her dress, revealing her creamy, chocolate thigh. He swallowed down the wetness building up in his mouth as he focused on how low the neckline was on the dress, wishing she would cover up a little. But the thing that caught his eyes the most was the strained smile that graced her face. She didn’t seem like herself, which meant that she was doing what he didn’t want her to do: risk her life to save the world. He just hoped that he could sort this mess out with her soon. 

He missed his little doc fighting on the field with him. 

He honestly just missed her. 

***

“Ajay Che. Thought you only appeared on the battlefield,” a familiar voice said. 

Ajay turned around to see none other than Eduardo Silva standing before her, giving her a cheeky smile as he sized her up and down. She shivered a little, feeling a tad uncomfortable with the attention but smiled back at him, hoping that he didn’t notice her flinch. He pulled out a cigar from his pocket and lit it up. 

“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Silva,” she said happily. 

The two were standing outside on the balcony of the Che family home. Ajay had gone out there for a moment to collect her thoughts about what her mother would be planning since she publicly announced the Che family donation to the Frontier. The whole event racked kept her wondering about what those emails meant and that she would have to sneak around later to dig up some info. 

“You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. By the way, congrats on your last Apex win. Very flashy, I might add,” he chuckled. 

She thought about how she threw grenades at Revenant, Crypto, and Caustic, breaking their shields immensely and taking them down with a couple of clips. It was a fond memory, one that would stay with her forever. Just as she was about to respond to his statement, he cut her off, bringing up a topic that seemed to make her skin crawl. 

“You know, how is that son of mine doing? He was, always fond of you, ya know,” he said nonchalantly. Ajay tensed up but kept her composure as best as she could. 

“He’s fine, still getting into trouble tho,” she said. 

“Typical. He was always like his mother,” he said. He took another puff of his cigar. 

“Yes. But he’s changed, seemingly for the better,” she said. 

“Nothing good can come from a disappointment,” he spoke calmly. 

“But even a phoenix can rise from the ashes. While he is certainly more like a kangaroo, he made his mark on this world in his own way,” she said. 

“I suppose,” he said. 

She turned towards him, walking past him and heading back into the dining room. It was taking everything in her to not knock him out right then and there. But she knew that she had a mission to do and didn’t want to lose sight of that. She told her mother that she was going to retire for the night. She hoped that she brought the lie since her brain was working overtime to figure out how she was gonna break into her mother’s office. 

***

“What. The. Fuck,” Anita said.

It was currently 3 a.m. and Octavio was standing at her door, knocking rapidly. He had tried going to sleep that night but kept tossing and turning thinking about Ajay. Finally deciding that enough was enough, he went straight to Anita’s apartment, where he found himself face to face with the cranky ex-soldier in her doorway. 

“ _ Lo Siento _ , I know it’s late. I just want to know if…” 

“If she’s contacted us? Yeah, she has,” she said. 

“Is she… alright?” he asked. 

“She’s fine, why do you care?” she said. 

“Because she’s my  _ amiga! _ ” he yelled. He was breathing heavy, clutching his chest and glaring at the ground, as if had fought him. “I need to know if she’s okay. It’s like I can’t get her out of my mind at all. I don’t know what the fuck is going on with me!” he said loudly. Anita sighed. 

“Look man, I don’t know what to tell you. You were the one who said she was your sister and that you didn’t love her that way. You said you didn’t have feelings and yet here you are confused as shit. If you can’t figure out that she’s worth more than any sort of adrenaline you could get off on, then that’s your problem,” she said. 

“Bang, just-” 

“Look, Octavio. Ajay is an amazing friend and woman. Any guy could have taken up her attention and affections but she chose you. She cut off her feelings so that she could protect the friendship she had with you. Hell, she even risked her career for you. It’s always been you man. You’re just the only one who didn’t see that,” she said. 

She gently closed the door on the stunned man, leaving him with his thoughts once more. As he walked back to his own apartment, he thought of everything she had done for him and how he didn’t do a damn thing for her. He had no right calling her family, let alone his friend. He was simply just disappointed in himself. 

***

“Okay, I’m in,” she whispered into her earpiece. 

Ajay finally put her plan into action, sneaking into her mother’s office at 2 a.m. Everyone should have been asleep by then and she was able to sneak past the guards while they patrolled the grounds. 

“Good. I want you to put in that little USB I gave you. It’s gonna take about five minutes for my program to install but once it does, I should be able to hack past the firewall,” Crypto said on the other end. 

“Thanks, Crypto. Because of you, we’re one step closer to saving Anita and Loba,” she said happily. 

“What about you? Are you coming back?” he asked. The typing on the other side of the earpiece filled the silence for a moment, giving Ajay a chance to think about how she was going to break it down to him. 

“I-I don’t think I’m coming back to the games,” she said firmly. The typing faltered for a moment but quickly picked up their pace. 

“You know, when you told him, you gave me the courage to tell Natalie my own truth? I was scared shitless. I didn’t want to get hurt like how you did,” he said. 

“Crypt-” 

“It’s Tae Joon, actually. Yeah, I was scared but I did it anyway because despite you being rejected, you still kept fighting for your friends and carrying on. You inspired me, Ajay. You’re stronger than you know,” he said. She couldn’t help but giggle at how talkative the hacker was. Natalie certainly changed him for the better. 

“Well now I gotta know what she said,” she teased. 

“That’s c-classified,” he said. His stutter gave it all away. Just as she was about to tease him some more, he shushed her. Immediately alerted, she quietly listened for footsteps outside the door. 

“What’s the download at?” he asked.

“98 percent,” she whispered. 

“You’ve got two, no three, guards coming up to the office quickly. You need to get out of there,” he said sternly. 

“We’ve got one percent to go and then I’ll force myself out of this place,” she said. 

Once it hit 100 percent, she stuffed the USB in her dress and listened to instructions that Tae Joon gave her to silently get out of there without being detected. Once she made it back to her room, where she heard Tae Joon gasp. 

“Tae, what’s wrong?” she asked. 

“Ajay, you need to get out of there now. Your parents, they’re-” he said. 

However, the next moment was a blur for Ajay as she felt her world turn black immediately, her vision getting blurry. She could barely see footsteps approach her as a hand forcefully grabbed the earpiece and USB from her. “Sorry, but Ms. Ajay here has to go offline for a while.  _ Adios. _ ”

When she tried to reach out for the person, she noticed those familiar green eyes that plagued her heart for days now. Soon enough she fell into the darkness, thinking of the man that she couldn’t have. 

_ “Tavi.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, I'm tired. 
> 
> Another chapter is done! 
> 
> As always, follow me on Twitter @mistasnut, and don't forget to comment! I love reading them :3
> 
> Until next time! ~ Music


	10. A Small Realization

It had been about only an hour when Octavio found out that Ajay had been caught in her mission. Crypto came running into the common area where most of the legends hung out in their building. Anita and Loba were sitting there watching a movie, trying to calm their nerves. They hadn’t heard much from Ajay, but it had been days since the last time that they heard from the combat medic. 

During that time, Octavio could only be seen going in and out of his apartment for necessities only. Every legend had never seen the speedy legend act in such a way before. Many tried contacting him, but he often just ignored them, choosing to waste his days away watching his old stunts and whatever was on the television. Bangalore would bring him some new parts for his jump pads, Loba would bring him new items that she managed to sneak through her black market, and even Crypto would send cool videos his way. However, as much as he appreciated the small gifts, nothing compared to the state that Ajay Che left him in. Through his time apart from her, Octavio Silva had realized two things. The first being that when he dragged her ass back from home, he was going to kick her ass in the arena. The second?

That he was completely and utterly in love with her. 

He knew that one of the reasons why he rejected her was that he simply didn’t understand if he was truly in love with her. The second reason was that he was terrified of taking that step with her. They had known each other since they were little tykes, and he was scared that their dating would mess up their whole dynamic. He had often called her  _ Hermana _ , feeling that she was like a sister to him. She was always there, healing him at every little convenience and being there whenever he needed her to be. Because they had known each other for so long, he had never thought of anything romantic when it came to her, often going after whatever tail was wagging in front of him. 

Then, the day he got his legs from her, he began treating her as if she was expendable. He left without even informing her, knowing that she could risk her medical license just to help him. He didn’t want to sit still and just kept wanting to live his life on the edge of death. He stopped caring about who he hurt as long as he was able to keep chasing that speed that got his heart pumping. It was his main drive for joining the Apex Games after seeing his old friend go for glory and fame after each win she won. Even after the countless games that they played together, he didn’t realize just how expendable she had become to him. 

But everything changed the minute after that match when he realized that there could be something more between them. Maybe it was the fact that she had pushed herself a little harder than normal, her hair falling out of her usual buns and flowing like a sea of pink in the wind. Or maybe it was the way she was being slaughtered by Revenant right in front of his eyes. Hell, it might have been a combination of all three that day. Either way, things changed for both of them and it had never been the same since. 

He began noticing how beautiful she was when the sun shined just right on her mocha-colored skin. He loved how she gave him a big cheesy grin when she managed to outsmart him and how she always smelled like fresh linen and flowers. He loved how heated her face got whenever he was near her. He loved each freckle that kissed her skin and even loved how her laugh sounded like a harp being played. The more that he thought about her, the more he realized that he was literally too stupid to realize that he was in love with her. 

Now here he was, stuffing his face with pizza and ice cream to push down his feelings of sadness that he had since he pushed his most important person out of his life. All he wanted to do was focus on the fact that he was probably going to lose her forever, thus losing the one person that made life worth living. That’s why, when he finally came home with snacks the same time as Crypto came running into the living room distressed, he knew immediately that it had been about Ajay. 

“What happened?” he immediately asked. 

Crypto caught his breath and sat down, pulling out his laptop and quickly typing on it, causing everyone to crowd behind him and try to catch a glimpse. When he finally stopped, a projection appeared in midair, showing Revenant and a report that had been written on his core. Anita got closer, reading faster than any other person. She gasped when she realized what was going on. 

“It’s-” Crypto began.

“It’s an army. A fucking army,” Loba said, catching up with Anita’s thought process. 

“¿ _ Qué?”  _ Octavio said. 

“They’re planning on starting another war to make profits from it. With Revenant’s core, they’ll create an unstoppable simulacrum army,” Crypto said. 

“There’s no way they have the funding for this…” Anita said quietly. 

“But they do,” said Revenant.

Per usual, he watched from afar, listening intently to every word that was spoken and watching for each reaction. His intimidation was the one thing that he wished he could feel if he was still alive. Even so, seeing the things that were doing to his core lit a fire in him that was even worse than his hatred for Loba. 

“The gala. Recently, the Che’s donated five hundred million to the Frontier Corps. Everyone knows that they’re war profiteers, but they would be able to get off easily if they had a way to make more money back from another war. They would be the perfect scapegoat,” Crypto said.

“Those bastards have my core and they’re going to turn me into their own personal plaything,” Revenant said, growling a little. 

Makoa burst his way through the crowd of legends and picked up Crypto by the collar, nearly choking him. No one, not even Octavio had seen the gentle giant get so angry before. He was breathing heavily through his nose and shaking as if he was about to break into pieces. 

“You mean to tell me that they’re just using our organization as a scapegoat?” he practically yelled. Natalie put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to put the hacker down to allow him to breathe. 

“No, I’ve seen this before. They’re using her too. She’s an ambassador to your organization so any bad-mouthing will immediately fall on her and possibly get her medical license revoked. They won’t even let her come back,” Anita said. 

“No, we have to get her out of there. Hell, I’ll go grab her myself. Che's security is terrible so it’ll be easy to get Ajay out of there,” Octavio said. Crypto sadly shook his head.

“Octane… your dad was spotted at the gala....” Crypto said quietly. 

The room immediately when silent, causing Octavio to set down his bags of snacks and punch a wall as hard as he could. It was an odd reaction for the usually easy-going man, especially since no one knew his relationship with his father. He wasn’t much of a talker about his past but it was clear to everyone in that room that he didn’t have much of a relationship with his father. His deep, heavy breaths were the loudest sounds in the room, but his thoughts were louder. When he finally got his breathing together, he turned back to everyone. Natalie walked over to him but was held back by Crypto, who solemnly shook his head. After a few moments, Octavio turned around, eerily calm, and addressed the group. 

“I don’t care what you all do but I’m going after her,” he said calmly. 

“Wait, what’s going on with your dad, Octavio?” Natalie asked, her tone on the edge of concern and worry. 

“That man… he’s a  _ terrorista.  _ He will do whatever he needs to get what he wants and make his statement to the world. If he even puts one finger on her, I’ll-” 

“You won’t do a damn thing, Octane.”

Everyone turned around to find Kuben Blisk standing in a doorway, smoking a cigar. He entered the room, keeping his eyes trained on Octavio, who returned the gaze. It was an intense moment but Octavio refused to back down, especially since there was someone that he loved in danger at the moment. When Blisk finally reached the group, he dropped his cigar and put it out with his foot. 

“The Syndicate is putting an end to this operation right now. We’ve already lost one legend, we will not put another out of commission,” he said. 

“But why? The Syndicate has no jurisdiction over this matter!” Natalie said angrily. 

“Actually, we do. Interfering with the matters of Silva Pharmaceuticals, as well as Hammond Labs, is not part of your contracts nor will it be allowed. Ajay Che has made her choice so stand down, now,” he said sternly. 

Revenant, clearly pissed off by his words, attempted to attack the seasoned soldier. However, he was immediately shot in the face by a wingman, shutting down and falling to the ground like a pile of scrap metal. Everyone gasped, but Octavio simply kept his gaze on the older man. “I will not ask again,” Blisk said. 

“Understand this. I don’t care if I die, I will get her back. I will break my contract with these shitty games and kill every bastard that tries to stop me. So you either better let me go get her or kill me right now,” Octavio said. Blisk sighed and holstered his gun, scratching his hair for a moment to think about what to do next. Everyone waited patiently, wondering what he was going to say next. 

“Can you wait one day? Just one?” he said. 

“You will have exactly twenty-four hours,” Octavio said. 

“I can work with that. Until then, don’t do anything reckless. Once I get everything done, you better pray your punishment is small,” Blisk said, walking away from them all. 

  
Once his presence was gone, Octavio took a deep breath, resting his hands on his hips and smiling at his friends. “All right. Let’s come up with a plan,  _ amigos.  _ We’ve got a medic to save,” he said proudly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload y'all. I haven't been feeling too well lately. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to do better next Sunday! :3
> 
> Until then, See ya!


	11. The Plan for Now

As she slowly opened her eyes, Ajay noticed two things: she had a pounding headache and she wasn’t alone. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times when the bright lights nearly blinded her. When she was able to clearly get her vision going, she noticed her parents and Eduardo Silva talking quietly to themselves. Ajay looked down and realized that she was still in her gold dress from the event before. She was in her mother’s office, left in the corner like some doll thrown away after being played with. She tried to silently push herself up, hoping not to direct any attention to herself. Unfortunately, her mother quickly noticed her right away. She approached Ajay with a bottle of water and a sandwich. Ajay simply glared at her.

“Oh, just take it, Ajay. Ya so damn defensive all the time,” Cherisse said. Ajay just refused to budge an inch, causing Cherisse to set it on the floor and stand up to watch her. Even as some hair fell in front of her face, Ajay kept her gaze on her mother, She didn’t care if it didn’t put fear in her, she just wanted her mother to feel all of her hate and malice poured into one look. 

“Damn, she certainly has your tenacity, Cherisse,” Eduardo chuckled. He took another shot of his whiskey and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before approaching the two women. Darion sipped his own shot and turned his back on the scene, choosing to keep his focus on the outside world, something Ajay expected. 

“What are ya planning?” Ajay quietly asked. 

“Wouldn’t you like to-” 

“Stop, Eduardo. She deserves to find out,” Cherisse said. Her response caused Ajay’s eyes to widen a bit, but not enough to show much of a reaction to her mother’s statement. Cherisse leaned down and lifted her daughter’s chin to get a really good look at her. 

“We’re simply just trying to be a family again, Ajay,” Cherisse said. Ajay snatched her chin away, but Eduardo came and grabbed her hair, forcing her to look at her mother. 

“Bullshit,” Ajay grunted. 

“Not really sweetie. As you know, we’re war profiteers but there hasn’t been a war in ages. The Frontier War was great but now? Everything’s dry. So what better way to start our own war with that precious core ya been looking for,” Cherisse said.

“How do you-”

“Ya hacker friend isn’t as good as he thinks. Since we have that Robot’s core, we have access to everything that he remembers. Even what ya so-called friends are planning right now as we speak,” Cherisse spoke once more. She left her daughter and headed back towards her desk. Eduardo casually dragged Ajay over while she tried to get his grip off of her hair. He threw her to the ground and plopped into his own chair. 

“Why are ya doing this? So many people are going to die because of us! Haven’t ya already ruined our family enough?!” Ajay screamed, her voice growing raw with pain. 

“Ruined? You ruined our family when ya joined that circus of a show. Throwing ya self into combat for money is not befitting of a Che,” Cherisse said. 

“This is?!” Ajay yelled. 

“Yes. The only good thing ya did for us was becoming an ambassador for the Frontier Corps,” Cherisse murmured. 

“What?” Ajay whispered. 

“Oh, sweetie. The Frontier will be a great scapegoat for the new simulacrum army since they just ‘received’ a five hundred million dollar donation from us. Obviously, we’ve already paid off Hammond so we’ll be making so much more than that when this new army starts attacking the innocent randomly. Then everyone will be wanting a piece of this and we’ll get to be the happy family ya always wanted!” Cherisse said happily. 

“I won’t go with ya plan! Ya know we’re coming so the others will be here. Mr. Silva, ya son will get hurt if ya don’t stop this!” Ajay pleaded. 

“You think I give a fuck about that little  _ bastardo?  _ He’s gonna get himself killed anyway,” he said nonchalantly. 

“But honey, that’s where ya can save him and the rest of them. All ya have to do is go along with everything. Ya friends won’t get killed and ya get to live comfortably. Ya has been working so hard and need a good manicure,” Cherisse said. She took a glance at her own nails while Ajay watched on, not able to hide her emotions anymore. 

“What happens if I don’t cooperate?” Ajay whispered. 

“Then they all get killed. The Syndicate can always find more legends. Would you feel better if I made sure to keep the death toll under a hundred thousand? Hm?” Cherisse said jokingly. 

Tears were rapidly slipping down Ajay’s eyes as she stared at the back of her father, the man who was supposed to dedicate his life to raising her until she was of age. The man that promised to give her world and would always cheer her up with ice cream on Sundays and taught her how to use a First Aid Kit whenever she was in trouble. He was her inspiration, one of her most precious people, and… and…

“Papa. Please, stop her! PLEASE!” she screamed, her voice going raw with emotion. She hiccupped and sobbed, reaching out for him, hoping he would turn around and fight back against her mother. But instead, he kept his focus on the window ahead. She eventually dropped her hand, looking down at the ground as the three of them got up and began heading out the door. Cherisse faltered, looking back at Ajay as she stayed on the ground. 

“In three days, ya going to give a press conference. That’s when the attack will start. Ya doing a good thing sweetie. I promise,” Cherisse said. Ajay stayed silent, not uttering a word until she was sure that her mother was far away from the room. It was then when she allowed herself to burst into tears, her wails echoing throughout that floor until she couldn’t speak anymore. She was crying so hard that she didn’t even realize that she fell asleep on the floor of that room. It wasn’t until she found herself in her bed that she realized that someone brought her to her room and changed her into some pajamas. But as comforting as it was, she only stared out into the bright sunny day, wishing that she was far away from this hell. The only place she could truly escape to was her dreams. 

***

“Okay, I think we’ve got this plan down. Everyone knows their positions?” Octavio asked everyone. 

“Of course, bruddah! Operation ‘Save Lil’ Bit is jam-packed into my brain!” Makoa said happily. 

“ _ Amigo,  _ not so loud. We gotta keep it quiet, remember. Did you manage to shut Revenant off during this?” Octavio asked. 

“Yeah, we’re good to go,” Crypto said. 

The legends were currently held up in Octavio’s tiny apartment, crowded around his couch and all keeping their eyes trained on the hologram in front of them, which showed the map of the Che mansion. Octavio knew the inside and out of how it looked, so he wasn’t too concerned about what entry point they should come from. The way that things were going, he knew that he was just one step closer to seeing her again. 

“Actually, Ta- Crypto and I were going to work on some shield upgrades. We’ll see you later, Octavio!” Natalie said. She grabbed Crypto’s hand and giggled, running away from the group. Octavio could see the tips of his ears turning red as he got dragged off. As silent as he was, Octavio knew that the guy was madly in love with Natalie and would treat her well. Returning his attention to the group, he spoke up once more. 

“Alright if you know what you’re doing, then move out!  _ ¡Pongámonos a trabajar!”  _ he ordered. Everyone walked away, but not without some grumbles from Elliot about how he could have come up with a better plan and a dirty look from Dr. Nox. The only few who stayed behind were Anita, Loba, and Mary, although, to Octavio, it looked as if the former two ladies were getting ready to leave as well. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll get her back. She’s already done so much for us so it’s time we repay her,” Anita said. 

“Your little  _ enfermera  _ will be home soon. Trust me, there is no you without her,” Loba said. 

“ _ Gracias.  _ I’ll see you two later,” Octavio said warmly. 

The two ladies left Octavio’s tiny apartment and he was soon left alone with Mary. He had never really talked to her too much, so he was unsure of what to say. “Uh, I can’t offer you any milk and cookies but-”

“Actually, fancy a bit of a  _ blether? _ ” Mary asked sweetly. He nodded his head and turned around to go sit on his couch to get comfortable for a long talk with the proclaimed ‘mom’ of the legends. However, he was very surprised when she approached him sweetly and slapped the back of his head as hard as she could. It was so loud that he just knew the others could hear it in their own apartments. 

“ _ Ay,  _ that hurt! What the hell?” he asked angrily. 

“ _ Ya lavvy heid!  _ How dare ya go break her heart like that and then figure out ya have feelings after the fact. Ya deserve two hits, honestly,” Mary scolded. Octavio pouted and Mary sighed, gesturing for him to sit down on his couch. If Octavio knew any better, he figured he was going to get a long lecture about the fragility of a heart in love. Instead, Mary sat down with him and ruffled his hair. 

“Ya better promise me that ya gonna tell her how you truly feel. That  _ lassie  _ is someone ya don’t just pass up. She’s a one-in-a-million-dollar find. Don’t lose her again or it’s more smacks for ya!” Mary said. She began wagging her finger in his face while she talked, which gave him the indication that she meant business. But when he finished, he knew that he deserved everything. 

“I know. The next time I see her, I’m telling her exactly how I feel. I won’t lose her again,” Octavio said firmly. 

“Good. Now get something to eat. Yer complexion is a little off,” she said happily. She popped up from the couch, realizing that she needed to finish something, and promptly headed out the door. Octavio chuckled to himself and laid down on the couch, looking outside as the day turned into night. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was okay and if she was safe. He knew that he didn’t have much time but he needed to get to her as fast as he could. Time wouldn’t wait around and neither would he. This was his only shot. 

He escaped to his dreams, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this was so much fun to write! As always, follow me on Twitter at @mistasnut and let me know what you think so far! Reading all your lovely comments makes me so happy and you all inspire me to keep pursuing my dream of becoming a writer!
> 
> Until next time, see ya! :3


End file.
